


DR: Rewritten - Digital Eyes

by CyberPhoenix



Category: Dangan Ronpa, Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Multi, SDR2 Spoilers, dr0 spoilers in later chapters, funky au stuff, most pairings implied but not really elaborated on?? i guess??, technical dr1 spoilers about the characters? not too huge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-04
Updated: 2017-01-04
Packaged: 2018-08-13 01:43:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7957453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyberPhoenix/pseuds/CyberPhoenix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryouko Otonashi wakes up on a sunny beach, her gaze meeting lavender eyes staring down at her.<br/>However, I was somewhere else in that fateful moment. Why things turned out how they did, I'm afraid I can't say. But perhaps, this was for the best.<br/>My name is Chihiro Fujisaki, and soon, I will die.</p><p>AU for DR1, taking place on the Neo World Progam's Jabberwock Island instead of Hope's Peak, with different motives and murders.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Step By Step

The front gate of Hope's peak Academy stood before me, open wide, inviting me in to the road to my future.

But I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I?  
My name is Chihiro Fujisaki, and I'm the Ultimate Programmer. I've been invited to attend Hope's Peak Academy, the top school in the nation for Ultimates such as myself. It's more than a bit of an honor, and, if I'm honest, I'm nervous. There's no telling what my fellow classmates will be like, nor what the school year will bring. But there's no turning back once I step into the building, I know that for sure. The path to my future, wherever it may go, starts here.

I enter the building, and darkness surrounds me. It's not scary, for some reason. It's normal. Comforting, almost. The doors behind me are gone, and all that's left is a door in front of me. My footsteps are silent, my movements as if I never existed, as I make my way over to the door. Sliding it open with ease, I enter the room.  
It's a classroom, and other people; my classmates, I imagine; crowd around desks and the perimeter. There's not many of us, so maybe I'm not the last to arrive? I stand myself near one of the desks, and catch the attention of a boy. He's wearing a hoodie, and his hair is styled in such a way that one piece spikes up oddly. 

"Hey, you're another of our classmates?" he asks, to which I nod. "Nice! I'm Makoto Naegi, what's your name?"

"I'm Chihiro Fujisaki, nice to meet you." I reply, my voice surprisingly confident for what I imagined I'd feel like. Something about this Makoto seems really approachable, really nice. "I'm the Ultimate Programmer, what's your talent?"

"Heh, that's the thing," Makoto says, seeming sheepish, "I wouldn't really call mine a talent, it's more of a chance thing. Apparently I was drawn in the school lottery, so they put me in as the Ultimate Lucky Student." He got in just by luck? That seemed more impressive than he was making it out to be...

"Well, you're here now, so it can't be that underwhelming, can it?" 

"I guess you're right." He is about to say something more, but the door opens again, and another person enters. This girl has purple hair, long and straight, and she seems to have an aura of mystery. Makoto whips around to see, before turning back to me. "I kinda wanna go introduce myself, is it alright with you if I head over there?" 

"Y-yeah, why not?" I say, and he walks over to the new girl. I'm now aware of the bustle and chatter around me, mixing hostility and friendliness depending on who interacts with who. I remember now that I did do a bit of research (not to mention hacking into a portion of the school's database), so I can, for the most part, identify some of my classmates. Some people I recognize, like the Ultimate Baseball Star, Leon Kuwata, as well as the Ultimate Swimmer, Aoi Asahina. Some people I more or less guess at, knowing name and talent, but not face. The girl with the long braids and circular glasses could be Touko Fukawa, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy; and the girl with the extravagant outfit and black drills is probably Celestia Ludenberg, the Ultimate Gambler.

That being said, while I know about people, I don't exactly know how to introduce myself... I'd probably end up making a fool of myself, and they might get angry with me... Makoto was nice enough, but the others probably aren't as welcoming...

My thoughts are interrupted as the door swings open yet again. This time, a rather dazed looking redhead steps in. Her eyes match her hair, and she's clutching a notebook tightly to her rather noticeable chest. She glances around, before opening said notebook and scribbling something in it. She looks up again, and her gaze lands on me, and I realize I'm the only one unoccupied with a conversation. She makes her way over to me, and smiles. I feel the same way I felt when talking to Makoto, like this person would welcome anything and everything that others were, without judgement or question.

"Hi! I'm..." she trails off, flipping through her notebook, "...Ryouko Otonashi, apparently! And I have severe short and long term memory loss, so..." she looks up at me and stops, her expression showing confusion. "What am I doing here? Who are you?"

"I'm Chihiro Fujisaki, we're in Hope's Peak Academy." I reply, seeing already the effects of Ryouko's condition.

"Right, okay, lemme write that down... also, apparently I'm Ryouko Otonashi! It's nice to meet you." She begins to wander off, around the room, and I'm almost thankful for it. However, it isn't long before something else disrupts the peace.

"Ahem, seeing as we're all here now..." A blonde teen says, raising his voice above the chatter. I vaguely recognize his face, but judging from the outfit, the glasses, and how he holds himself all high and mighty, he must be Byakuya Togami, heir to the Togami conglomerate. What a talent, Ultimate Heir... did he even have to do anything to get in?

"Wait, this is everyone?" Aoi, I'm sure that's her, speaks up.

"Of course. There are fifteen desks, and there are fifteen of us here including the new girl. It's obvious if you bother to think about it."

"Well, what now?" A big guy with an outrageous hairstyle (I can't decide if it looks like corn or a baguette) says, arms crossed. I read the words "Crazy Diamonds" on the back of his coat, and identify him. Mondo Oowada, Ultimate Biker Gang Leader. He's more than a little intimidating, but he also looks so strong... if only I could be strong like that... I realize that Byakuya's started talking again, and tune back in to the conversation. 

"-does anyone actually remember how they got into this classroom?" His question strikes me as odd, of course I remember... wait, what do I remember? I went into Hope's Peak, then... the darkness isn't just normal anymore, it's that I cannot remember walking to the classroom. The doors are all that I remember. It seems everyone else is thinking similar things, as no one answers the heir's question.  
"In that case, everyone here is in the same, unnatural predicament. We're all here and we don't know why or how we got to this classroom, save stepping onto campus. I'm assuming that is what happened to all of you, correct?"

"So that wasn't just me?" A blue-haired girl (Sayaka Maizono, perhaps?) pipes up, obviously a little shaken.

"E-even if it's just a coincidence, it makes no sense..." The girl who I think is Touko Fukawa mutters.

"So, the only answer is that it isn't a coincidence." Byakuya says, "Meaning we can only speculate who is responsible for this phenomenon."

"W-well, that might not be our biggest issue-!" A rather large, tubby-looking guy starts, "I mean, we should probably focus on why we can't get out of here!" That's news to me, the doors were working just fine a minute ago...

"Whaddya mean, we can't leave?" Mondo says, stomping over to the door. He pulls on it with all his might, but it doesn't budge an inch. "It- it won't open!"

"Well, yeah, I wanted to check and see if anyone else was coming, but it was shut tight!" The other guy says.

"There's only one conclusion then!" Another guy; with a stark white uniform, clean cut black hair, and stern red eyes; declares, "We are locked in here!"

"L-locked in?" I stutter, before I can stop myself. "B-but, why?"

"Maybe it's some sort of entrance exam?" Makoto says.

"No, I've done extensive research on this school, and no such entrance exam exists." The purple haired girl says.

"We could be a special case," Makoto points out, "I mean, what other explanation is there?"

"That's wrong, this is not an entrance exam!" A new voice says. It's high and almost bubbly sweet, but I can't find where it's coming from.

"What was that just now?" Byakuya says, looking around. Everyone else is doing the same, searching for the source of the voice.

"Who said that?" Leon says. He turns to me. "Was it you?"

"N-no!" I sputter.

"Uhm, it was me!" 

"Hey," Makoto says, "it's coming from behind the teacher's desk!"

"Alright! It seems everyone has arrived! So, it is time to begin!" With those words, a weird pink glow materializes on top of the desk. With a flash, suddenly there's a pink rabbit standing on top of the desk! Or rather, a cartoony rabbit, with a skirt, a wand, wings, and little pink bows.

"W-what is that?" Touko (I'm sure of it, that has to be her!) says.

"It looks like a stuffed animal..." The largest girl in the room says. I don't recognize her, but she's huge... looks strong, too.

"That's right!" The rabbit chirps, "I am a squeezably soft stuffed animal! I'm Magical Miracle Girl ★ Usami, or just Usami! I may not look like it, but I am your squeezably soft teacher. Nice to meet you all!"

Things had just gone from strange to downright freaky. As the conversation and confusion continued, I could only attempt to process what exactly was happening. This was Hope's Peak Academy... supposedly, and I couldn't remember how I got into this classroom. There were fourteen other students, two of which I had met, and our teacher was a stuffed rabbit named Usami? 

This didn't even feel real at this point... but of course, once I though things couldn't get any weirder...

"Your fun field trip starts now!" Usami said, raising her paws (and magic wand thing) into the air with glee.   
The walls then proceeded to fall away, revealing a beach of all things!

Soft waves rolled onto the sand, and the sun shone brighter than I'd ever seen it before. Palm trees dotted the beach, and the air smelled both sweet and fresh. My cares seemed to wash away with the waves, as while things were still as strange as can be, I decided now wasn't the time to care. I could have fun, I could enjoy myself and not worry about school or other negativities that plagued me. Some of the others were freaking out, but some, such as Makoto and Aoi, were relishing in the new scenery. If I was honest, I felt like I was in some sort of dream, just floating along without rhyme or reason. That was the only reasonable explanation for something like this: it wasn't real. It just couldn't be.

Even as Usami announced the start of our "Heart-Throbbing Field Trip", I continued to deny the world's existence with every passing second. Paradise or not, there was no reason to believe it. After all, if reality and fantasy merged, there would be no point in enjoying it, and risking fear and despair slipping into an otherwise peaceful and fun experience...

...something within me felt like laughing at the idea.


	2. Despair's Paradise

We all split up, and set off to explore. I myself stayed relatively nearby to where we were dumped, walking over to a farm. I laid down on the grass, enjoying the feeling of the sun on my face. I rested my eyes for a moment, but opened them when I felt something walk onto my arm. Glancing down, I saw a fluffy chick start to settle down next to me. Smiling, I let myself drift into a dreamless sleep.

"Hey, you there!" Someone called my name, and I opened my eyes. Something was on my chest, and I was about to sit up, but the same someone continued with "Wait, don't get up, this is amazing." Looking around as much as I could, being on my back, I could see that the chick's siblings (and cousins, and cousins thrice-removed) had gathered around and on top of me, dozing off. This was... quite the predicament.

Suddenly, all the chicks woke up, almost in unison, and dashed away, as a shadow fell across me. Looking up, I saw the source of the voice. It was an older looking guy (was he even supposed to still be in high school?), with a rather obnoxiously large hairdo, grinning sheepishly.  
"Whoops, didn't mean to scare them off... but that was really cool-! How'd you do that?"

"Do... what?" I asked.

"Get those baby chickens to surround you like that! it was weird... are you a literal chick magnet?"

"Uh... no? I really don't know... why they... did that?" I was honestly a bit confused, and this guy was starting to creep me out. "Who are you, anyway?"

"I'm Yasuhiro Hagakure, Ultimate Clairvoyant! And, maybe they aren't chickens at all, if you honestly don't know why... maybe they're actually aliens! And them surrounding you was them preparing to take you away to be their queen! In that case, you're welcome! You can call me Hiro, as your hero!"

"Uh, thank you..." I cringed a little internally when he said queen, but it wasn't something to focus on right now. He was honestly more than a little quirky, but at least he seemed friendly enough. "I'm Chihiro Fujisaki, Ultimate Programmer. It's nice to meet you, even in a situation like this, I guess..."

"Yeah! Unless... you're not already their alien queen, are you?" I couldn't help but laugh.

"Not as far as I'm aware!"

"Okay, good!" Before I could say anything else, a nearby monitor crackled to life, accompanied by the sound of a bell. An image of Usami clicked onto the screen, and she seemed overjoyed about something.

"Congratulations everyone! It appears everyone has finished gathering the Hope Fragments!" Right, that was part of why we're here, to collect all of the "Hope Fragments" ...whatever that meant. Maybe it was a measurement, rather than an actual physical thing? Probably, but I couldn't imagine what of. It wasn't like you could measure actual hope or anything, right? Well, maybe...  
"-prepared a present for everyone that'll make you all veeeeery happy! I apologize for the trouble, but please gather at the beach!"

I glanced over at Hiro, but he was already gone, running in... the opposite direction from the beach.

"It's the other way!" I called, but it didn't look like he heard me. I shrugged, and began to make my way back to the beach. Once I got there, almost everyone else was already gathered, despite the fact that I hadn't had to walk very far. I suppose I was just kind of slow getting there... but it took a few more minutes for everyone else to get here, including Yasuhiro who trudged to the gathering place, out of breath.

"What'd you do, make a circle around the whole island?" Mondo asked.

"N-no!" Hiro denied, but everyone could tell it was true.

"Anyways, that's not important right now. What is important, however," Byakuya seemed to take charge of the conversation, as if he was our leader or something. "-is that we discuss what we found around the island. It's best we get to know our surroundings, if we are to stay here for however long this field trip is."

"There's an airport, but all of the planes are outta commission, so we couldn't fly out of here, even if we wanted to." Mondo supplied.

"There's a market... Rocketpunch Market, I think? It's got a whole lot of stuff, and it's stocked practically to the ceiling!" Ryoko said, reading off of her notebook.

"There's some cabins, and a hotel with a restaurant, and there's an old building that supposedly Usami's fixing up." Leon added.

"W-well, there's a farm," I said. "-with some chickens... I didn't see any cows or anything else though..."

"It seems there are other islands, but we can't go there yet. Usami said it's to make sure we don't get lost, but right now we can access this island, and the center one, which has a park."

"Is there any way off of the island? Because I don't know about you, but I'm not sure if I want to stay here, with all contact to the outside world severed..."

"There's no given way out, and besides, we don't know just where we are yet. We could be in the middle of literally nowhere, so just making a raft and setting off into the sea won't exactly be the smartest of ideas." Celestia said.

"That's right!" Usami said, popping up. "Besides, why would you wanna leave here? This school trip is supposed to be a relaxing, no-stress environment! It's the ideal vacation-" -one of the boys flinched slightly at those words, "and it's a time to get to know your fellow students and enjoy your stay here!"

"I want to go back home..." 

"A-anyways, Usami, do you have the presents you promised us?" Ryoko asked, and Usami nodded, digging a paw into a bag she had with her.

"I didn't forget... Aha, here we are!" She pulled out a string of... keychains? They all looked like little Usami dolls... "Love, love! This is it!"

"And, what exactly is it?" Celestia asked. Everyone else seemed to be thinking the same thing. Surely this wasn't what Usami believed was a present, right?

"Pfft, teehee! It's an Usami Strap! If you squeeze the tummy, it talks!" She squeezed one.

"I'm Usami! Magical Miracle Girl ★ Usami! I'm an itty bitty girl who's sweet like milk!" It squeaked, at an annoyingly grating pitch.

"Isn't it cute? Love, love!"

"Tch, what a waste of time." Byakuya scoffed.

"I can't believe I got my hopes up for something like this..." 

"I guess it's kinda cute..." Ryoko murmured. She hooked hers onto her notebook, while everyone else either tossed 'em or stashed 'em in a pocket, never to be taken back out again. I just held onto mine, since I was just overall unsure of what to do with it. Usami scolded the ones who had thrown theirs on the ground for littering, and picked them back up. She seemed kinda sad... were those tears? They seemed like they were made of gentle light, but honestly it didn't really shock me after everything else.

"Ugh, and I even prepared one more present, too, but now I don't wanna give it to you bad kids..."

"Hey, we didn't all drop them, so don't lump us in like that... what else do you have?" Makoto asked.

"Well, compared to the Usami Strap, it's not that big of a deal... basically, I've prepared a 'motive' for everyone to get along! We've come all this way to a tropical island, so I thought it'd be great to do something island-themed!"

"What, are we gonna have a party?" Leon asked.

"Cooooooorect!"

"Are we gonna play volleyball or something?" Aoi said, seeming excited. Maybe she excelled at more than swimming? How cool...

"Maybe roast marshmallows around a campfire?" Hifumi suggested.

"And tell ghost stories when it gets really dark!" Sayaka added, and I noticed Hiro paled a bit as she said that.

"It seems everyone has a lot of different ideas, but if we're gonna be at the ocean, then first..." She dumped out the rest of her bag, and colorful bags scattered across the sand. "Tadaaa! This is what it's all about!"

"Swimming bags?" Aoi's eyes seemed to sparkle as she stared at them.

"Coooooorect! Love, love!"

"Then that means-!"

"That's right! I have swimsuits for everyone. Well, school swimsuits actually. I hope that's okay!" I took a quick count over the bags, on initial inspection (otherwise known as Aoi ripping the first one she could grab open) it seemed red had swimsuits for girls, and blue had swim trunks for boys. Thankfully, it seemed there were a total of 16 bags, 8 of each, so there would be an extra that I could use... that is, if I was going to swim... which I really didn't feel like it, honestly. Not yet. But there was no reason to worry about it, the party had just begun!

The next few hours or so were a rush of emotions and exhilarating freedom. Everyone was enjoying hanging out on the beach, some had put on the school swimsuits and were already splashing in the ocean. Others, myself included, stayed on the beach. I was currently building a sandcastle with a boy who introduced himself very loudly as Kiyotaka Ishimaru, Ultimate Moral Compass. He was the one who hadn't liked how Usami had described the trip. He had taken a bit of convincing to join me, and it took Usami insisting that the field trip was, in fact, going to aid everyone in their studies, and that afterwards, there would be a written essay required. That seemed to sate him, and she whispered to me that there wasn't an essay required. I told her I had already caught on, but thank you anyways.

Upon further explanation from Taka, he likened his talent to that of a hall monitor. While he would've enjoyed swimming as much as the next person, he informed me that he had apparently decided he didn't want to due to the fact that there was no supervising adult or lifeguard of the sort. I almost went to suggest that Aoi would likely do the job just as well, but held my tongue, since he'd probably just go and bother her about it and stop helping me with this sandcastle. It was looking pretty good, as a matter of fact! I placed my Usami Strap standing up on the top, somewhat akin to a cake topper.

"Look out!" Taka said suddenly, grabbing my arm and pulling me away as a rather large wave crested and splashed down where I had just sat, taking a third of the sandcastle back with it and nearly toppling the rest. I yelped in surprise, the force of the pull nearly knocking me forward onto my stomach. Looking back at what was left of the sandy structure, I couldn't help but pout a little. We had worked hard on that thing, just for the wave to ruin it... But that was okay. It was just a sandcastle, after all.

"Are you alright, Chihiro?" He was asking.

"Y-yes, I am." I replied. "I'm fine. But, why are the waves so big right now?"

The answer, was what sent everyone who had been in the water back out into the beach.. A storm was picking up, and the sky quickly clouded over, enveloping the once sunny beach in an ominous darkness.

"W-what's this?" Kiyotaka said. "The sky was clear just a moment ago-!"

"Hey!" People were starting to flock over to Usami, who was watching the sky with apprehension. "What's goin' on here, rabbit?" Someone demanded. She glanced around, her button eyes almost seeming... fearful?

"Yeah, it was sunny just a minute ago, what's up with the clouds?"

"Is it time for ghost stories and a campfire?"

"Please be serious. This isn't a natural storm, what's going on?" 

"I- I dunno!" Usami said. "This isn't supposed to happen, but everyone stay calm! I'm sure the storm will pass in a few minutes! There is no reason to be alarmed!"

"That is correct!" Kiyotaka agreed. "A mere storm should not interrupt our academic endeavors!" A few groans followed his words.

"I thought the point of this trip was to relax, not to worry about school..." Leon muttered.

"Well, actually," Usami began. "It's in order to-"

"-to strengthen our bonds as classmates. We heard you the first time." Byakuya said. "That doesn't explain how quickly a storm set upon us-" He stopped, as the bell sounded again and a nearby monitor crackled to life. Static clouded the screen, but a silhouette began to clear. As it took form, we could make out what it was of.

It was a bear.

 

"Upupupupu! Surprised? You were totally surprised! Riiight?" Something about this shadow seemed... almost familiar, but not in the "old friend after a decade" way, more in the "ominous figure appearing in the back of every nightmare you've ever had" way. "Now then," it continued, "-sorry to keep you all waiting for so long. Let's leave all this worthless entertainment behind... It's time for the main attraction! You guys better hustle over to Jabberwock Park!"

"Could this be-! This voice! I-If this is... Oh, this is very bad. I gotta do something... It's all up to me!" Usami dashed off in the direction of the central island, and others started to follow, some uneasy, others carefree, others still darkly serious. I decided I'd be part of the first group, as I went to join them. 

As we walked, the screen flickered on one last time.

"And don't be late!"


	3. Chapter 3

We arrive at the central island, tense and uneasy. Usami seems nervous, her earlier positivity all but gone. Something is horribly, terribly wrong here. At Jabberwock Park, she's pacing around, apprehensive.

"Where are you hiding?" she shouts. "Show yourself!"

"Hiding?" I hear someone mutter.

"Upupupupu..." That voice... the voice from the monitor. It seems to be right in front of us, but there's no source in sight... "Ahahahaha!"

Suddenly, a bear pops up from the statues in the middle of the park. It looks similar to Usami... but more sinister. One side is white, and the other is black. A monochrome plush bear, save for a evil-looking red eye.

"Here I am! I am Monokuma, this school's headmaster!" It laughs, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth.

"So it is you! Why are you here?"

"Headmaster?" I find myself asking. It did sound absurd, a bear for a school headmaster... but everything else I'd experienced today seemed no different in absurdity. 

"Yeah!" It replies. "And as your headmaster, I have to say, this school trip has been soooooooo boring!"

"Boring?!" Usami exclaims.

"Of course! It really drives me mad, you kids just wallowing around in your 'Heart-Throbbing' school trip! Where's the action? The excitement? There's no emotion! If this were a movie, maybe, or, god-forbid, a slice of life anime... no, even then it'd be too utterly boring! What you kids need is suffering! Hardship! Despair."

"What...? What are you talking about?" Ryouko says.

"What's up with this other one? Usami was bad enough..." Mondo mutters.

"This is dangewous, everyone! Step back, I'll handle him!" Usami said, toddling toward Monokuma. "I don't know how or why he's here, but as long as I have my Magical Stick, there's nothing to fear!"

"Not so fast!" Monokuma snarls, before suddenly leaping at Usami-!

A dust cloud is kicked up as they fight, and after a minute that seems like forever, it clears just a bit. Just enough for us to see Monokuma snap Usami's "Magical Stick". She cries out in anguish over the broken toy, but is given no time to grieve as Monokuma leaps back onto her.

 

"Plain white bunnies are so boring! Let's give you a little makeover!" His voice rings out above the struggle. When the dust clears again, Usami is radically different. Her once completely white body is now split, pink and white, just like Monokuma's. Her outfit is also different, and she looks all-around miserable. "Ta-dah! Meet my little sister, Monomi!"

"Little sister? Monomi? What's with this outfit?" Usami- no, Monomi protests, only to be cut off by a punch from Monokuma that sends her flying.

"Now that that's over, I've got an announcement for you all!"

"H-hold up," Makoto interrupts, "-isn't this all going a bit fast?"

"Too bad! We've only got so much air time, and we still gotta fit in those commercials!" 

"What?"

"As I was saying, I have a big announcement! From now on, this 'Heart-Throbbing' school trip is now a 'Mutual Killing' school trip! Forget becoming friends and forming bonds; if any of you suckers wanna get off of this island, you gotta kill one of your classmates!"

"Kill each other?" Sayaka squeaks.

"Is this some kind of a joke?" Leon shouts.

"Nope! Now, if you'll let me continue, that's not all. Once you off someone, you gotta survive the class trial!"

"Class trial? What- why are you doing this?" Hiro asks, getting a glare from Monokuma.

"If you'd let me finish, I will tell you! The class trial is basically like this: When a murder occurs, the survivors will engage in a class trial. In this, the innocent will try and figure out who the murderer is and vote for the culprit! If you get it right, then the culprit is punished! If you get it wrong, then everyone but the culprit is punished, and they get to leave the island! Simple, huh? All you need to do is kill someone, then not be found out!"

"What do you mean, punished?" Byakuya says.

"Isn't it obvious? Execution." 

"E-execution?" I sputter.

"Yeah! The colorful and exciting demise of those who dare to disrupt the peace of this island!"  
"Disrupt the peace-? You're the one telling us to kill each other!" Makoto says.

"Well, technically you don't have to kill each other. You could live out here, for the rest of your natural lives... never seeing your family or friends again, never knowing what happens in the world that'll miss you... no big deal, right? That being said, if you don't want to waste away here, you can just kill someone! Doesn't matter how, there's so many ways... bashing, crushing, stabbing, hanging, strangling, poisoning, electrifying, beheading, beating, shooting, drowning, impaling... you get my meaning! The possibilities are endless!"

"But.. we don't have to kill each other."

"Well, no. But you have a reason to!"

"That's it!" Mondo says, striding forward towards Monokuma. "I'm not dealing with any more of your bullshit!" 

"Getting aggressive, are we? Good! But, please direct that anger towards your classmates! After all, violence against the headmaster is strictly prohibited!"

"What are you gonna do?" 

"It's not what I'm gonna do, it's what they're gonna do!" Monokuma laughs again, "Monobeasts, rise!"

A rumbling shakes the ground, and the statue of Jabberwock Park begins to... fall apart? Mondo stumbles back, as freaked out as the rest of us. As the statue crumbles, machinery beneath it begins to move. Giant mechanical monsters, large enough to flatten even the largest of us with ease, line up behind Monokuma, as he continues to laugh.

"M-monsters..." Toko hisses, her voice barely a whisper.

"This... this has to be some sort of dream. None of this was ever real!" Hiro is clutching at his head, and others are having similar reactions.

"Everyone! I will pwotect you!" Monomi says, having returned from her short flight across the island.   
She stands tall against the abominations, determination in her stance. "I may not have my Magic Stick, but I will keep you all safe, even at the cost of my own life..."

"Upupupu... is that so? Well, in that case, I'll just have to give a little demonstration!" Monokuma says, hopping neatly onto the back of a winged Monobeast. It hovers in the air, and Gatling guns open up from its mechanical limbs. Monomi stands her ground, albeit uneasily. 

The innumerable bullets tear her to shreds.  
A few ricochet, nearly hitting us behind what's left of her. One grazes Ryouko's arm, but other than that, no one is hit.

When all is said and done, there's really nothing much left of her. I can't help but feel sad... but it's more than that. I'm honestly terrified.

"There we go! How's that for a despair-filled example! Don't cross me, alright? Now, I'll leave you all to your devices. The Mutual Killing school trip begins... now!" The Monobeasts, Monokuma included, simply... walk away. Leaving us alone with ourselves and our thoughts.  
\-----  
"S-so... should we..."

"I think we should..."

We just kind of stood there, as the reality of our situation sunk in. I couldn't help myself, as tears of true fear began to roll from my eyes. No one was coming to help us. Only a little while ago, we had all been enjoying ourselves on a tropical island. Now, we were faced with a deadly truth. People would be dying if anyone ever wanted to get out of here, back to our family, our friends, back to the normal world...  
I was scared out of my mind. I knew I was probably one of the weakest people here, and an easy target. Everyone else was so strong, so confident, and I... I couldn't really do much of anything. What would programming knowledge do against a knife, or even just bare hands? 

Something must've happened, maybe I had blacked out, maybe I just... didn't remember walking back to my cabin. But there I was, sitting on my bed, as the sun sunk lower past the window.  
Waking up was... different. The cabin bed, the room around me, it all seemed so foreign. I didn't end up sleeping much anyway, my heart and mind racing over the events of the day.  
Makoto came by as morning dawned and lulled into afternoon, knocking on my door.

"Chihiro, was it?"

"That's me..."

"Everyone's meeting at the hotel for breakfast, so we can try to sort things out. You coming?"

"S-sure."

We walked together to the hotel, in a rather uncomfortable silence. It seemed even Makoto "Optimism" Naegi couldn't make this situation any better. When we arrived, hardly anyone else had shown up. 

"Where is everyone?" I asked. I had learned everyone's names from their cottages, but putting names to faces was a bit difficult when only a few people were there in the first place.  
"Well, I said everyone..." Makoto seemed sheepish, "...but it was more of that everyone was invited. Didn't expect only us seven to be here, though." Including Makoto and I, there was Byakuya, Toko, Aoi, Celestia, and Kiyotaka.

"That's almost half, surely that's adequate. You can't expect everyone to be so open about conversing, especially after yesterday's events." Celestia said.

"Almost half is unacceptable! Even in light of our current situation, surely the better option is to talk about it!" Kiyotaka argued.

"Well, if it's all we're going to get, we have to live with it. I'm not going to go hunting down everyone else just to talk about something we all will know sooner or later." Byakuya said.

"Yeah, what's this about?" Aoi asked.

"Well, to put it in simple matters, you are all in grave danger."

"W-what?" Makoto said.

"Murders are going to occur, whether we like it or not. You must be aware of your surroundings at all times if you wish to survive. Trust no one."

"Wait, you said "we". Why are you safe all of the sudden?" Aoi asked.

"It's simple, really. I've already got this whole game mapped out."

"Game?" I asked.

"Yes. Someone has to be behind all this, behind the machines, behind us being here. I intend to find them, and eliminate them. Anyone left at that point will probably be spared."

"So... you're gonna just go off and be our great hero or something?" Aoi said.

"I wouldn't put it that way, but essentially. I intend to end this game. When I do, however, will depend on how you all perform."

"Perform?" Celestia said. "So you do not intend to end it as soon as possible, and minimize casualties?"

"Of course not. Don't think that just because I'm telling you all this that I won't be ready to dispose of you if you get in my way. Should you be foolish enough to kill or be killed, that's simply your own fault."

"So that means, don't bother him!" Toko finally spoke up.  
"Yes... thank you." Byakuya seemed rather irritated by the writer. I didn't really get why, she was only agreeing with him...?

"Hey-!" Sayaka had just walked into the hotel, followed by Ryouko and Sakura. They were all holding swim bags. "We were thinking about going swimming, a little girl's thing; to take our minds off of yesterday, y'know? It's kinda lucky most of you are in here, save for Kyoko. Chihiro, Celestia, Toko, Aoi; any of you want to join us?" 

Instinctively, I shook my head. "No, thank you for the offer though. I'm still a bit shaken up over the storm yesterday." A likely excuse, but it would work for now.

"I'm in a similar boat, I've never been one for swimming. I do appreciate you wanting to include us, however." Celestia said.

"N-no! Why would I go swimming with you, when I could be here doing something more... p-productive!" Toko seemed rather defensive about not wanting to swim, but no one pushed it.

"Well, at least you got me! I'm always up for a swim!" Aoi seemed kind of uneasy, leaving the little meeting so suddenly, but I don't think I could blame her for wanting to get away. Listening to Byakuya put himself on a pedestal was kind of exhausting. The trio, now a quartet, set off, presumably to either continue the search for Kyoko, or to just head to the beach.

"Now that the interruption is over," Kiyotaka said, "-Byakuya, please continue!"

"Well, when a murder occurs, I expect all of you to do your best." 

"You're acting like you know someone's gonna murder." I said.

"It's a guarantee. No one is going to be able to resist the temptation."

"You can't be sure of that, Byakuya. No one would really want to kill anyone, right?" Makoto said,   
backing me up.

"Thinking everyone else believes the same will only get you killed yourself. Not everyone is as naive as the two of you."

But before I could say anything else, a scream ripped through the air, suddenly and shrilly. A minute later, one of the monitors crackled to life, the screen flashing to Monokuma lounging on a chair. A bell sounds.

"A body has been discovered!" The bear said, in the sick, sing-song voice of his.

Wait, a body? That didn't mean...

"Seems it's already begun."

Someone was dead.

Not even a day after it was announced, the mutual killing game had truly begun.  
And no one was safe.


End file.
